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With concern centering around Stephen Strasburg following Monday's 3-2 loss to the Braves, the offense also may not have come out unscathed. Right fielder Jayson Werth, the team's second-leading home run hitter and run producer, fouled a ball off his ankle and aggravated his hamstring. Near the end of the game, Werth felt cramping in the seventh inning while racing to catch a fly ball and make a throw home. During his eighth inning at-bat against reliever Eric O’Flaherty, Werth fouled a ball off his left ankle. He fell to the ground, rolled around and got up gingerly. Nationals' trainer Lee Kuntz and Davey Johnson came out to check on him. He finished the at-bat but was replaced the next inning in right field by Roger Bernadina.Via Dan Kolko of MASN Sports: The ankle was a little swollen after the game, Werth said. The hamstring, while it bugged the veteran outfielder, doesn't seem to be a major ...

Limited to only 44 games last season after suffering an ankle fracture in his second professional game, Anthony Rendon resuscitated his prospect stock this spring with an excellent showing in major league camp. Appearing in 13 games, the 22-year-old batted .375/.412/.875 with four doubles and four home runs and received extensive playing time at the hot corner. More importantly, Rendon asserted that, despite his limited experience, his bat was close to being ready for the major leagues. However, with Ryan Zimmerman blocking his path, it was widely known that only an injury could get Rendon to the majors before September. Unfortunately, the Rendon insurance policy came into play far earlier than expected this season, as the Nationals were forced to call up their top prospect from Double-A after placing Zimmerman on the 15-day disabled list for a strained left hamstring.Luckily, among all position prospects, Rendon stands a legitimate chance at ...

Another season, another trip to the disabled list for third baseman Ryan Zimmerman.Washington Nationals manager Davey Johnson announced that Zimmerman would be placed on the 15-day disabled list with a left hamstring issue, and that top prospect Anthony Rendon will be called up from Double-A to play third base in his place (via the Washington Times).Zimmerman attempted to play through the nagging hamstring. The first signs of injury were reported on Monday, though he tried to play on Wednesday after taking a day off. He left halfway through that game and then proceeded to miss Friday and Saturday's games. The MRI he received Saturday morning must have thrown up red flags for the team's doctors.The move to call up Rendon in his place is an interesting one. The Nationals will likely only need the No. 6 pick of the 2011 draft for two weeks, after which he'll be sent back ...

Washington Nationals star Ryan Zimmerman has reportedly been placed on the disabled list following a hamstring injury he sustained last weekend.The Washington Times' Amanda Comak reports:The third baseman reportedly sustained the injury against the Atlanta Braves last weekend, then aggravated it even further when playing against the Miami Marlins on Wednesday—despite playing with a heating pad affixed to his leg.After some pregame running and throwing under the watch of a trainer on Friday, Zimmerman was again rested by the Nationals, who scheduled him to play this weekend against the New York Mets.However, instead of playing, the All-Star was again left out of the lineup by Nationals management and then sent to have an MRI scan on his hamstring.The Nationals have already recalled Anthony Rendon from the Harrisburg Senators—AA Eastern League Affiliates of the Washington Nationals—as a replacement for Zimmerman, according to the Nationals' official Twitter account. For a player who has landed on the disabled list four times ...

The Washington Nationals have been and will be an interesting team to watch.After years of building up young talent and sending them into the farm system, Washington's young dream team has finally been assembled. Players like Ian Desmond, Ryan Zimmerman, Jordan Zimmerman, Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper were all drafted by Washington, and they are all making a splash.And it wasn't just the draft. Washington signed Jayson Werth in the 2010 offseason and traded for Gio Gonzalez in the 2011 offseason.Now, the Nationals lead the NL East by 2.5 games, and they're ready to fight to the finish in a tight NL East race that everyone will be talking about.Here are the Nationals' four biggest second-half storylines.Begin Slideshow

For the first time since their inaugural season in 2005, the Washington Nationals have been fun to watch. It’s been a grueling process, but all aspects are starting to come to fruition. They have one of best ballparks in all of baseball, the majority of their players are homegrown and their fanbase seems to be increasing on a game-to-game basis. The first-place Nats had to do it the old-fashioned way, lead by an old-fashioned manager Davey Johnson. Regardless if they tail off, (which could very well happen to an inexperienced team) positive strides were made to the future of the franchise in the first three months of the season. What’s even more impressive is that a lot of the players on the roster are not even playing up to their potential. Below are my mid-season grades for each guy on the team.Begin Slideshow

The Washington Nationals are being cautious with Ryan Zimmerman since his DL stint earlier this season.Zimmerman was originally in the lineup on Tuesday but was scratched after manager Davey Johnson forced him to sit according to Amanda Comak of the Washington Times.  Ryan Zimmerman dealing w some soreness in the same area of his shoulder, AC joint. Davey forced him to sit. Will play tom. Team offday Thurs— Amanda Comak (@acomak) May 23, 2012  This soreness gives the Nats and their fans a bit of a reason to be concerned.It does not look like another trip to the DL will be in order, but a season of soreness might be. Zimmerman is going to have to find a way to work through the pain and try to have a productive season.Since his return from the DL, Zimmerman is hitting .273 with one home run in 55 at-bats. His average is actually better since ...

The Washington Nationals have been plagued with injury after injury since spring training. They might be dealing with their biggest injury yet as Ryan Zimmerman was sent for an MRI on Tuesday night.After experiencing inflammation in his shoulder on Saturday, Zimmerman rested for three days and was expected to return to the lineup on Tuesday against the San Diego Padres. On Sunday morning he said that he did not "see any reason right now why I won't play Tuesday." However, he was left out of the lineup because he still felt pain when he swung a bat. Amanda Comak tweeted that manager Davey Johnson said the Nationals fear Zimmerman's dealing with a strain that could keep him out at least a week, but are still hoping for the best.Johnson seemed worried later on when he spoke of Zimmerman, saying, "I don't have a good feeling, I mean, he's had three days off...Hopefully it's nothing serious. We'll know after the ...

Saturday was not a good day to be an All-Star third baseman in Major League Baseball. Ryan Zimmerman, Adrian Beltre and Kevin Youkilis either did not start or were pulled from their games due to injuries.The Nationals' Zimmerman was the first third basemen to fall victim when he was scratched from the lineup due to mild right shoulder inflammation. According to William Ladson, there is no structural damage to the shoulder.The Nats have a day off on Monday, so they might opt to let Zimmerman have a long weekend of rest in hopes to reduce the inflammation.Beltre of the Texas Rangers was the next one to go down on Saturday. He came up lame on a double in the second inning and was removed from the game. Jeff Wilson reported that Beltre is day-to-day with a strained left hamstring.Beltre told reporters that he does not think the hamstring injury is as severe ...

I hate to write this article, but Chipper Jones will be 40 years old during the first month of the 2012 season. That means it's time to take a look at five guys the Atlanta Braves could bring in to replace one of their all-time great players, a player with a World Series ring, MVP Award and batting title.Chipper has said he will return for 2012, and has a $7 million club option for 2013 that would become automatic if he plays 123 games in 2012. Since the Braves have limited options right now, there's a good chance he reaches that number of games if he can stay fairly healthy.It's also worth noting that he is still 385 hits away from 3,000 after picking up 125 in 2011, so there's a chance he tries to stick it out through 2014 to reach the magic number of 3,000. Since it's unknown how much ...